Hollow
by wingsoflove
Summary: A story about unrequited love and uncontrolled circumstances ...A Neji/Tenten fic...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this fanfiction and no money has been received for this. If ever I am violating any rules, please let me know.

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**_Hollow _**

She performed the seal but it was not working.

_Damn! _her mind shouted. She was getting frustrated. Nothing in the world was working anymore: her breathing was in rapid succession due to exhaustion, her hair had escaped the confines of her ribbons which cascaded down her back and her concentration was faltering because of the presence of the man who was causing her heart to beat at an abnormal pace.

To top it all, her seal forming was not working. Her opponent was ready to attack any moment now. She tried one more time to form the seal but nothing happened. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself a bit then did the ninjutsu one more time.

"You are doing it wrong," came the husky voice beside her right ear then warm hand enveloped hers from behind. She jerked in surprised but was held in place. "What's the matter with you? This finger should be down to get the seal working," Neji calmly said as he pushed her finger down with his own.

She noticed that his heart was rapidly beating as he stood so close behind her. She opened her eyes and stared at his hand that was holding hers. He shouldn't be holding her hand. Hell, he shouldn't be standing that close to her at all!

Neji was breathing almost at the same pace as his heart. With every inhale, he was becoming sensitized by her scent, imbedding the memory deep within the confines of his brain and his heart. He should let go but his muscles would not respond to reasoning.

To top it all, his left hand held her waist and he felt her intake a deep breath.

"Neji," she said in hushed husky voice.

"What?" he asked in deep tones.

Tenten's eyes closed and her shoulders sagged. It was not the place or the time and definitely she was not in the position to disclose her feelings.

As always, she will fade into the shadows with her unrequited love.

"Neji," she started again, trying hard to maintain her voice and praying that her tears would not fall. "You would be starting the next chapter of your life now."

She had no idea it would be that hard. Life, as she knew it, was supposed to be simple. But she felt the damnable tightening of her insides as she tried her best to sound as normal as possible.

"All these years," Tenten continued, "it has been an honor to be your teammate. As there is a beginning to everything, there is also an end," she stopped, collecting herself by taking in deep breaths.

Neji bit his lower lip to keep from responding and closed his eyes.

"You will belong to another starting next week. I don't think it will be appropriate for us... to meet like this," Tenten said in hushed tones. She then pried her hands loose from his then enclosed his hand in hers and clasping it near her heart.

Neji snaked his other arm around her waist, molding her to him. "Tenten, I-"

"I just wish," she began, cutting him off, "that next time I would see you a smile would grace your lips."

A tear fell down from her eye. "I wish she will make you happy when no one else can. I wish..." her voice faded away, unable to continue.

Tenten savored every second that she was held in his arms. She felt the rise & fall of his chest pressed on her back. She inhaled his musky scent. Then, she lowered his hand. She let it go then she turned around and faced him but her head lowered.

Tenten bowed before him. "Arigato... Neji-sama," she said formally. "For all the training we did, I finally had the courage to accept the promotion to be an elite ANBU."

Neji's eyes opened wide in surprise as the thought of the dangerous missions that were assigned to the elites.

"I guess the end will start now for us," she continued on with her head bent down. "This will be the last training we will have-"

"Don't... not the ANBU-" Neiji started.

"One thing I ask from you," Tenten began, cutting him off, and when she felt that the tears that were pooling from her eyes were not going to fall, she raised her head and looked at his pale eyes. "Please dont forget..."

Neji started to raise his hand.

"...everything," she finished, noticing what he was about to do.

All he wanted to do was touch her flushed cheek.

But she disappeared in an instant after making a quick seal with her right hand.

And Neiji was left there, frozen in place... numbed and shocked.

For the first in his life, he finally knew who held his heart- because the moment he knew she would disappear forever, he felt hollow inside.

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Hope you, guys, would like this fic about Neji and Tenten.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto and, sadly, I dont earn anything from this fanfic.

Reviews are most welcome! Thank you all for reading

II

The moon was full. The bamboos were swaying in cadence with the quietly moving wind, the leaves humming a serenade in the background.

A lone figure stood by the cliff overlooking the cityone hand holding the trunk of the tree, as if for support that was not even needed.

Her long, wavy brown hair was swaying with the wind.

Her face was hidden behind a passive mask.

It had been thirty moon rises since the last time she set eyes to the town below, after the completion of her first mission as one of the ANBU elites sent on a very long reconnaissance and dangerous mission.

But she was glad that she had gotten that mission. A time away from it all, shall we say. Wasnt it an old adage about how time healed all wounds?

How time just pass by and seems to fly the lone figure began in hushed tones. But the memories remain.

She placed the hand that was looking for a support from the tree beside her to where her heart was, hidden behind the tight-fitting brown ninja outfit she had donned since she had joined the elites.

Tenten felt scared to set foot on Konoha, even more scared than her first mission as an ANBU. After the scene in the practice ground a month ago, the shadows had swallowed and claimed her.

And that was how it was since then.

She looked up in the skies and saw that the dawn was starting to break. She leaped off from where she was standing at a blinding speed into the night, landing a moment later to the place where her heart was buried.

Tenten stood there, looking down at the very spot where the clearing used to be barren because of the numerous hours of practice. Now, grasses covered the ground with white wild flowers scattered everywhere.

She stood there, slowly removing the mask that had hidden the true person behind.

For the first time in a long time, emotion crossed the face of the konoichi, matured now in just a matter of short time. While she stood there quietly, her eyes spoke volumes- for those brown orbs were hidden behind a waterfall of tears, mirroring the hurt she had been keeping inside for far too long.

Nobody, she whispered to herself. I am a nobody always has always will be

She didnt have a bloodline to uphold or at least a family name to carry- a nobody in a truer sense of the word.

_Neji__._

Three weeks ago he became somebody to someone.

Why reach for somebody whos already gone? she said, barely audible.

She looked up at the golden sky above chasing the dark ones away: signaling the breaking of the dawn. The wind dried her tears and blew her loose brown wavy tresses about her.

Shadows would fill an empty heart once more and Tenten once again welcome its company - she was only glad that she made it through another night.

Just as soon as she was sure she had her emotions in check, she stood alerted when she felt something had changed with the way the wind was blowing. She hurriedly hid her face behind the mask.

Then disappeared once more in a blinding speed a swirl of white petals was in her stead.

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White orbs stared head on.

The man was unmoving, but his eyes were intently watching.

The shadows of the breaking dawn concealed his presenceperched high above on one of the branches of a sturdy tree.

A smile appeared on his lips

_Finally._


End file.
